Illustration of eel
- eel 1a
1
a
: any of numerous voracious elongate snakelike bony fishes (order Anguilliformes) that have a smooth slimy skin, lack pelvic fins, and have the median fins confluent around the tail compare american eel
b
: any of numerous other elongate fishes (as of the order Synbranchiformes)
2
: any of various nematodes (such as the vinegar eel)
eeled; eeling; eels
1
a
: to fish for eels see also eeling
b
: to fish with eels as bait
2
: to move or make (one's way) sinuously or insidiously : worm
Stories my Russian friends had told me about the hundreds who were trampled at Stalin's funeral came back to me. Finally, we gave up and eeled our way out of there.—
Ian Frazier
Ian Frazier
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There are more than 500 fish species known as eels. They are slender, elongated, and usually scaleless, with long dorsal and anal fi ns that are continuous around the tail tip. Eels are found in all seas, from coastal regions to the mid-depths. Freshwater eels are active, predatory fish with small embedded scales. They grow to maturity in freshwater and return to the sea, where they spawn and die. The transparent young drift to the coast and make their way upstream. Freshwater eels, considered valuable food fish, include species ranging from 4 in (10 cm) to about 111⁄2 ft (3.5 m) long.
Examples of eel in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Max G. Levy, WIRED, 27 Oct. 2024
These sand eels are types of fish that are crucial to seabird populations, and are most commonly seen in images of puffins holding several in their beaks.
—New Atlas, 26 Sep. 2024
The Editors, Robb Report, 28 Mar. 2024
With his brother-in-law as president, Mr. Saint-Rémy wielded enormous influence, often demanding that choice licenses and contracts be awarded to him, particularly eel export licenses, according to officials in Mr. Martelly’s government.
—New York Times, 12 Dec. 2021
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Noun
Aquatic animals such as eels, sharks, and dolphins are known to sense electricity in water, which is an excellent conductor of charge.
—Max G. Levy, WIRED, 27 Oct. 2024
These sand eels are types of fish that are crucial to seabird populations, and are most commonly seen in images of puffins holding several in their beaks.
—New Atlas, 26 Sep. 2024
Verb
See also: eel ‘The Theory of the Leisure Class’ by Thorstein Veblen
Thorstein Veblen’s 1899 magnum opus, The Theory of the Leisure Class, could be considered a forerunner of the behavioral economics so popular now.
—The Editors, Robb Report, 28 Mar. 2024
With his brother-in-law as president, Mr. Saint-Rémy wielded enormous influence, often demanding that choice licenses and contracts be awarded to him, particularly eel export licenses, according to officials in Mr. Martelly’s government.
—New York Times, 12 Dec. 2021
See all Example Sentences for eel
Cite this Entry
“Eel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eel. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
eel
noun
plural eels or eel
: any of numerous long snakelike fishes that have a smooth slimy skin and the fins in the middle of the back and bottom continuous around the tail
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